To combat global warming, scientists have proposed detonating 1,600 thermonuclear bombs in the right place

To combat climate change on Earth, scientists at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) have proposed not waiting for mercy from nature, but detonating 1,620 thermonuclear bombs with a capacity of 50 Mt at once in the right place. No, these are not strange thoughts about a man-made Armageddon. Everything is precisely calculated and available for study via a link on the arXiv website. The researchers claim that the achieved effect will surprise everyone.

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Scientists rightly note that if the increase in the average temperature of the Earth continues at the same rate and even accelerates, then by the end of this century this will lead to a loss of up to $200 trillion in the global economy and a deterioration in the living conditions of hundreds of millions of people. There could be so many victims that the problem must be solved quickly and boldly. In their work, the researchers prove the feasibility of safely detonating approximately 1,600 thermonuclear weapons, each of which is comparable in power to the USSR’s Tsar Bomba.

The researchers’ proposal is based on the fact that the process of weathering a number of silicate rocks, such as basalt, binds carbon dioxide – mineralizes it and removes it from the atmosphere. Similar projects are already being implemented on a small scale. For example, in Brazil, a number of companies led by Google are spending hundreds of millions of US dollars on crushing basalt and scattering its crumbs over fields. However, according to the researchers from RIT, this is only a “homeopathic dose” for the global climate and is not capable of saving the planet. The solution they proposed for crushing basalt with thermonuclear explosions will solve the problem quickly and for a long time.

To ensure the safety of this risky undertaking, the detonation must be carried out on the ocean floor in a precisely chosen location. The charges must be placed at a depth of about 4 km in the seabed, under a water thickness of up to 8 km. The pressure of 800 atmospheres will absorb the shock wave, and the use of thermonuclear charges in combination with the thickness of the earth’s crust will minimize radiation pollution. The ecosystem will be almost unharmed by such an impact.

The estimated power of the explosion should reach 81 Gt. Technically, it can be prepared within 10 years. The effect will be comparable to removing 30 years of carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere. Otherwise, we will face ocean acidification, the death of coral reefs and other environmental disasters.